News of an ancient Highland
clan. The Arms of MacTavish of Dunardry. 30 December 2002, at HM New
Register House, Edinburgh, Scotland, The Honourable Robin Blair, Esq., LVO,
WS, 34th Lord Lyon King of Arms, has agreed to a New Armorial in favour of
the Chief of Clan MacTavish, the Much Honoured Edward Stewart Dugald
MacTavish of Dunardry. It was just over five years ago that MacTavish was
ratified as Chief after his clan had suffered a dormancy of over two
hundred years. MacTavish arms were granted to Lachlan MacTavish of
Dunardry in 1793 by Lord Lyon John Hooke-Campbell of Bangeston, co.
Pembroke (1754 to 1796), who granted MacTavish a Campbell gyronny in the
first, and predominant quarter of the arms on 17 April 1793.

The granting of amended or
corrected arms is a rare occurance, particularly when chiefly arms are
involved. Solid justification for such a change must be presented at the
Court of the Lord Lyon. The MacIntyre arms differed from those believed to
be correct, and in 1991 James Wallace MacIntyre, 9th (recorded) of Glenoe
saw the chiefly arms corrected. Earlier, James Burns, grandson of Poet
Robert Burns’ cousin was granted arms in 1837 showing the ‘black and gold’
Campbell gyronny, which spawned a curious legend that the Burns family
where of Campbell stock. This was corrected in 1851 with a new
matriculation correcting the Burns arms, which completely omitted the
gyronny. Likewise, there is a well known and often accepted legend that
the MacTavish are actually Campbells. The MacTavish Arms of old were said
to be a ‘gyronny of eight azure and argent’ (blue and silver), as
researched by the Western Highland Clans historian, Niall Diarmid
Campbell, later 10th Duke of Argyll, although these arms were never
registered.

The Arms attributable to
MacTavish dating from 1793 are: Quarterly, 1st and 4th a Gyronny of
eight Sable and Or; 2nd and 3rd, Argent, a buck's head cabossed Gules
attired or on a Chief engrailed Azure a cross crosslet fitchèe between two
mullets of the Third. The troublesome nature of the MacTavish arms (of
1793), as is true with some other clans and families, expressed briefly
above, stems in part from the Chiefs neglecting to register their arms at
an earlier period, and often the ancient heraldry of these Clans and
families was lost. Similarly, the 1793 matriculation of MacTavish of
Dunardry arms were either those adopted by MacTavish, which is
questionable, or more likely, they were devised by Lyon Campbell to fit a
particular circumstance. There is no dispute that MacTavish descends from
the same genealogic root as does Campbell, but well before the name of
Campbell ever appeared. In that era of the early 1100’s the Campbell
ancestors were known as MacDuine. In West Highland Scots heraldry,
normally the 1st quarter of any shield of arms is the predominant one and
shows the Ensign Armorial of the Name of the armiger. Therefore, the
MacTAVISH shield of 1793 would be taken as that of a man whose surname was
CAMPBELL, which, of course, is NOT the case.

Since his matriculation in
1997, Chief Dugald MacTavish of Dunardry has not been satisfied with
merely bringing back an ancient clan and chiefship, but with correcting a
long standing injustice to the Clan MacTavish itself. Ironically, a
subject long overlooked is addressed in the annuls of the Craignish
Campbells, wherein it is anciently affirmed that the Clan MacTavish were
independent, describing them as having repuditated any dependency on the
Argyll Campbells. Additionally, a newly found work by an historian for the
Braemar Royal Highland Gathering, shows that MacTavish is one of 69
original Highland Clans, which makes clear the distinction. The correct
placement of Ensigns armorial now serves the MacTavish by lifting the
shadow of the Argyll Campbells. With the affirmation of Lord Lyon, the
ancient Clan Tavish of Dunardarie steps forward in vidication with new
arms, and into a bright future; its once forgotten history of much
interest to Scots the world over.

At left, a depiction of the
New Arms of MacTavish of Dunardry, as agreed to by Lord Lyon Robin Blair.
The new, corrected arms: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Argent, a Buck's Head
cabossed Gules attired Or on a Chief engrailed Azure a cross crosslet
fitchèe between two mullets of the First; 2nd and 3rd, Gyronny of eight
Sable and Or. Above the Shield is placed an Helm befitting his degree with
a Mantling Azure doubled Argent, and on a Wreath of the Liveries is set
for Crest a boar's head erased Or langued Proper, and in an Escrol over
the same this Motto "NON OBLITUS".

The corrected arms places
the MacTavish Buck’s Head in the predominant quarters, with the MacDuine/Campbell
gyronny removed to the lesser quarters, expressing descent. The Livery
colors are amended and corrected to Azure and Argent, reflecting the
tincture and metal of those attributable to Clan Tavish.

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